


Friends of Friends

by gbyesummer (shouldshy)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F, F/M, Female Lu Han & Xiumin & Chen & Lay & Tao, Genderbending, LuXing bffs, Slice of Life, background taohun and suchen, fangirl au, fanxing if you look really really hard, featuring snsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shouldshy/pseuds/gbyesummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luhan scrolls through a friending meme and wonders if she might not be able to make a real friend.</p><p>(Fangirl AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends of Friends

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for the first round of nabisonyeo [here](http://girlexochange.livejournal.com/10395.html) (which was in 2014 but i swear it was just yesterday)
> 
> also posted to my lj [here](http://gbyesummer.livejournal.com/5344.html).

 

 

> **Hi, first time doing a friending meme  
> ** _starseokscoffee_  
>  _2013-02-09 05:47 am (local)_
> 
> **Name or Nickname:** Xiumin, or Shoe  
>  **Location:** Seoul, SK  
>  **Bias(es):** Yuri and Jessica  
>  **Top Ships:** I don’t really ship, but I do like YoonYulSic  
>  **Other fandoms?:** DBSK  
>  **Twitter:** minshoe  
>  **Tumblr:** minshoe  
>  **Other social media:** I have Kakaotalk and Line if anyone wants to be friends?  
>  **Anything else you'd like to add?:** I like dancing and football! I spend most of my time doing both when I’m not studying or online. You can probably tell by my username that I like coffee  >.< I work part time as a barista~
> 
> ( _Reply_ ) ( _Thread_ )

 

From _yoyo_hansolu_  
**Subject:** Re: Hi, first time doing a friending meme  
**Message:  
** Hi there! I haven’t seen you comment or post before, are you new here or a delurker? Nice to meet you ^^ Since I like to dance, Yuri is my bias too lol.  
  
You’re a DBSK fan too? And a football fan!! Which is your favorite team? I’m a ManU fan  >_<

**Post Comment**

 

There it is. Her comment. Nicely written out. At least she hopes it sounds nice, she can never be sure her be-my-friend smile is communicated across the internet without adding millions of emoticons.

She'll never admit it, but the main reason she's responding to _StarSeoksCoffee_ 's comment is not because they also have shared interests in DBSK, football and coffee. No. The main reason she wants to be friends is because she typed in Shoe's tumblr url and nearly died at the selca that was on the first page. She - _StarSeoksCoffee_ , Shoe is a she - is perfect. Her wide, brown eyes come to a point at the edges that makes it look as if she has winged eyeliner when she has no makeup on. Her gums show when she smiles, and her round cheeks make her eyes crinkle into crescents. Lu Han is entranced by the total of two selcas on the girl's blog, a barefaced selca taken right before bed and a candid photo a friend named Chen took with Shoe's phone.

She wants to see these sights in real life and determine if she really is as perfect as she seems. It's unreal how beautiful she is. She's almost like a fairy.

The _'Post Comment’_ button stares Lu Han in the face. It’s mocking her, telling her, "click me, click me." She can feel it.

She should click it. Lu Han may or may not have already followed her tumblr blog after scrolling through her selca tag. Or already looked up her twitter account and followed that. _Why not three-for-three, that makes sense, right? She'll think I'm a creepy stalker if I don't say anything, right?_ she thinks to herself.

“I can’t do it!” she tells herself. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”

“Shut up, please,” Yixing says back, already under the covers trying to sleep.

“Xing.” Lu Han leaves her seat and goes over to her friend’s bed. “Xing, there’s this girl on the friending meme and she’s perfect, absolutely flawless, and I want to comment but I can’t, because I am not worthy.”

"You're plenty worthy of anyone you want, Lu," Lu Han can barely make out what Yixing is saying. She's lying on top of the girl, so her face is pressed into her pillow.

"Not this one. You have to read her post and see her face, it's not fair."

"If I say I'll look at her, will you get off me and let me sleep?"

Lu Han is off of her in seconds. Yixing sits in the desk chair, giving herself a quick twirl in it before settling in front of the computer. "Oh, it's in Korean?"

"Yes, we are in Korea, you know."

"But you've been on this forum for years."

"It helps with learning the language?"

"Koreaboo," Yixing coughs. Lu Han opts to blatantly ignore the statement, knowing her friend is just teasing.

Clicking through the open tabs, Yixing can see this _MinShoe_ is very attractive, and from her few blog posts that are not reblogs, she seems sweet. But she reads her friending meme post and has to say, "You gathered she is perfection just from this." It's not a question, she knows Lu Han is prone to exaggeration.

"Yes, she likes dancing, football, Yuri, DBSK, and coffee."

"A lot of people like dancing, football, Yuri, DBSK, and coffee. If people like Yuri and DBSK, then there is a very high chance they like dancing, you realize?"

Lu Han flops down onto Yixing's bed. "But she likes coffee and football, too." She gasps. "She said she's a barista. She probably works at a cozy coffee shop with a TV constantly tuned to Premier League matches. Except when music shows are on."

She hears her friend click a few things, probably closing all the tabs with Shoe's selcas and the pictures of Ahn Sohee opened next to them. Which reminds her, "She looks like an idol. How is she not a part of SNSD, how is she merely a fellow fangirl."

"Lu," Yixing says as she joins her on the bed, "I think your fangirl tendencies are starting to invade your real life."

"No, it can't be. Yunho and Yuri never made me feel like this. Is this love at first sight, Xing?"

"We'll find out soon. I sent in your comment."

"YOU WHAT?"

Zitao tries not to say anything when she comes home and finds her roommates wrestling, one screaming, "But I'm not worthy!" all the while.

* * *

The next twelve hours involve Lu Han actively and obviously ignoring Yixing, to which the other girl just shrugs and goes about her day as normal. The first six or so hours are easy; they're sleeping. But the  day is surprisingly boring for both of them without the older girl bothering the younger. They do get to turn Zitao into a human carrier pigeon for a few hours, though.

The silence treatment ends when Lu Han's phone buzzes on her lap in the middle of class. Sitting nearly at the back of the lecture hall, she checks her notifications bar to find a small bird symbol.

> **_MinShoe_ ** _has requested to follow you on Twitter.  
>  ✔Accept  ✘Decline_

It's followed quickly by another notification from Tumblr.

> **_MinShoe  _ ** _started following you._

Lu Han may have forgotten to breathe, because she definitely doesn't scream. But she really, really, really wants to scream, so if she isn't, it must be because she isn't breathing. Screaming would be an overreaction, surely. It's a good thing she doesn't, because later when she answers, "No, of course not," to Yixing's, "Did you overreact and scream in the middle of class?" she doesn't feel like a liar.

 ****_**Lu Han**_  
_I'm sorry for getting mad at u, u actually did a really really good thing for me bc she followed me back on twitter and tumblr and might have friended me on the forum, i haven't checked yet. omg xing what do i do?????_  
_12:36_

__**Yixing  
** i'm only looking out for you lu, seriously.  
_12:38_

__**Lu Han  
** I know  <3  
_That doesn't answer my question!!!!! D:_  
_12:38_

__**Yixing  
** just pointing it out :3  
_have you contacted her at all yet?_  
_because i think you should wait for her to say something first since you made first contact_  
_12:58_

__**Lu Han  
** LATE REPLY XING  
_But i didn't say anything to her, so we're good._  
_I'm lucky i value ur opinion so much._  
_12:58_

__**Yixing  
** not all of us can text in class!!!  
_speaking of, my next class is about to start_  
_let me know what happens!!!!!_  
_13:02_

As soon as Lu Han gets back to their apartment, she locks herself in her and Yixing's room. She starts up the desktop computer, logs onto the forum and squeals because she has a notification for a new message.

There's no subject, but the username _starseokscofee_ stares back.

She lets out a high-pitched squeal and rolls around her bed, wondering what the hell she’s going to say to her brand new friend. She is blissfully unaware of how loud she’s being until Zitao and her boyfriend Sehun knock on the door - she didn’t even realized they were there.

“Lu Han?” Zitao asks.

“Is everything okay in there?” Sehun’s voice chimes.

“Everything’s fine!” she replies.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, totally fine, go back to whatever you were doing!”

She rolls over to face the door, but ends up rolling herself over the edge of her bed. The younger two barge in when they hear the thump.

“Oh, she’s fangirling,” Zitao says, unimpressed.

“So, do we leave her?” Sehun mumbles.

“You can leave,” Lu Han says, standing up. She walks over to desk with a skip in her step.

“Okay, then,” the other girl shrugs. “Is it okay if Sehun is here?”

“Was he here before I got here?”

“Yes?"

“Then, yes.”

“Awesome, thanks Lu. We’ll just be in the living room. Have fun fangirling.” The door shuts behind them, Zitao pulling Sehun along by the hem of his shirt.

On the computer screen the cursor blinks in the box beneath Xiumin’s message, following a simple, _'Nice to meet you too!'_

The laughter of the couple in the living room can be heard through the walls as they watch television. And for a second, Lu Han is struck by a sense of loneliness, not because she is a lonely person, she's rarely ever felt alone. But because something about the laughter seems unfamiliar, though she has heard it many times. She hears it from Zitao and Sehun, from Yixing when she video chats with her giant-handed boyfriend back in China, from the sophomore Jongin in her dance class whenever her boyfriend brings her homemade lunch, it's everywhere. She hears it; she wants to know it, too.

Resolve strengthened, Lu Han types.

* * *

After the first few weeks of messaging each other, Lu Han begins to believe she really did fall in love at first sight.

She still doesn't know Xiumin's real name, or which University she attends, but Lu Han hasn't been forthcoming with her own personal information either.

She does know that Xiumin and Shoe are nicknames from exchange students she had tutored in high school. That she first learned how to play football from her dad. That her mom had been a dancer, so she had both her daughters - Xiumin has a younger sister - take some kind of dance class growing up. That she learned to love coffee from an upperclassman who snuck off campus during lunch to buy the really good coffee from a small shop down the street instead of the over-sweetened 'crap' they had in the school's cafeteria.

In turn, Lu Han tells her that she's not really a Star Wars fan, having only seen Episodes 6 and 1, but a classmate from fifth grade had suggested _hansolu_ as a username. That the first time she played football was a result of a boy picking on her for being really skinny. She kicked the ball into his crotch and then all the other boys wanted her on their team. That dance didn't come until her last year of high school, when it was the only elective left to take. That the first semester of a Korean language class turned into an obsession that could only be curbed by studying abroad.

It's nice to slowly reveal herself to someone in the way that an internet relationship between two cautious young women had to proceed, and to slowly get to know Xiumin as well. Everything, every detail Xiumin reveals is fascinating. There is a real, interesting, wonderful person behind the icons and pictures, and Lu Han is glad she opened that particular friending meme and went as far as that particular page.

Nearing two months into their correspondence, Xiumin tweets _':( :( :('_ after a retweet of a sad quote. Lu Han's heart sinks in the way it does when she sees Yixing unable to sleep because of nightmares or Zitao cook comfort food while singing sad Jay Chou songs to herself. An urge to protect and cuddle emerges.

She tweets back: 

> **_Lu Lu_ ** _hansolu  
>  @minshoe everything okay? _
> 
> **_Xiumin_ ** _minshoe  
>  @hansolu :( Check your messages. _

Lu Han signs onto the forum, and sure enough she has a new message from _StarSeoksCoffee._

> _starseokscoffee:  
>  Hi, thanks for checking in on me. Just having a rough day. _
> 
> _yoyo_hansolu:  
>  do you want to talk about it? i'd be happy to listen. _

Before she can freak out about maybe sounding too forward, Xiumin replies. 

> _starseokscoffee:  
>  Do you have kkt? Sorry if this is too soon! But I feel like you're already a good friend, you know? Even though we don't even know each other's real names hehe. _

Lu Han's heart pounds.

> _starseokscoffee:  
>  I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. We can just continue talking on sns if you want. _

It's been fifteen minutes since she last responded, and she feels hers palms begin to sweat when she reads Xiumin's latest message, because no, no, she definitely wants to be friends. If they aren't already friends. They've contacted each other nearly every day. She's told her many things, things she would usually only tell Yixing or Zitao. They're friends right?

Before she can chicken out, she types in her KKT ID and sends it.

She hasn't checked Xiumin's selca tag in a while, despite taking a huge interest in the girl thanks to stumbling upon it. She goes through it now, waiting for a response or a KKT message, wondering what it had been about _StarSeoksCoffee, Minshoe,_ Xiumin, the girl with the pretty face and the charming smile, that made her want to say hello more than any other pretty face she has seen on the internet.

Her phone buzzes.

 ****_**kms90**_  
_yoyo_hansolu?_  
_11:15_

_**Lu Han** _  
_Hi! Minshoe?_  
_11:15_

__**kms90  
** Hi!  
_I guess I should tell you my real name now. My name is Minseok._  
_(emoticon)_  
_11:16_

__**Lu Han  
** Hello, minseok~ my name is lu han~ but most people write it ‘Luhan’  
_(emoticon)_  
_Long time no see_  
_11:17_

__**Minseok  
** Long time no see, Luhan  
_(emoticon)_  
_11:18_

A click to the main page of Minseok's tumblr blog and there's a new selca. Posted one minute ago, it's less a picture of Minseok's face and more a picture of her hand.

Between her fore and middle fingers an eye peeks out, and the visible corner of her mouth is tilted upward. The tiniest flash of teeth and gums. _'Nervous,'_ the caption reads. The tags: _#selca, #nervous, #made a new friend, #you will probably see this eventually why did i do this, #to delete later._

Lu Han bites the inside of her cheek to keep herself from squealing about how cute Minseok is.

 **_Lu Han  
_** _So how are you feeling?  
11:18 _

* * *

Lu Han finds herself sending variations of this message over the next month. Not because Minseok is always sad, but because she's afraid her usual greetings won't work as well as this one did, and, well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right?

Though when she is sad, for reasons she has yet to reveal fully - _'Just had a disagreement with my parents, Feeling homesick, Parental troubles again'_ \- Lu Han records her best song covers and sends them as voice messages. Usually they're Mandarin ballads, but occasionally she throws in a little DBSK or BoA.

She sends more and more Korean songs when Minseok begins sending back clips of herself singing the rest of a verse or a chorus.

They go from sweet, comforting songs intended to make Minseok feel better, to random ridiculous songs not even in their native languages, trying to keep this game they’ve created going.

Lu Han sends an exaggerated, "Dooooooushiiteeeee..."

Minseok quickly responds with, "Kimi wo suki ni natte shimattan darooooou!"

Her words run together, barely intelligible because her Japanese skills are limited to anime one-liners, and Lu Han cracks up in the middle of the night.

She immediately covers her face with a pillow to stifle the laughter, but Yixing has already heard and thrown a house slipper at her.

"Lu, it's sleep time," she mumbles in broken Korean.

"Okay, Xing," Lu Han replies. "Go back to sleep, I'll knock out in a few minutes."

__**Lu Han  
** It's bedtime for me :(  
_(emoticon)_  
_2:21_

__**Minseok  
** Me too.  
_My roommate's complaining about my singing hehe._  
_2:21_

_**Lu Han** _  
_But your singing is awesome!! (emoticon)_  
_2:21_

__**Minseok  
** Thanks (emoticon)  
_But yeah, she's got a project due and needs to "focus" so I have to be quiet._  
_(emoticon)_  
_2:22_

__**Lu Han  
** Argh, i know the feels  
_I just finished one too TT__TT_  
_2:23_

__**Minseok  
** (emoticon)  
_I hope it wasn't humanities so you didn't have to suffer like she’s suffering._  
_2:23_

__**Lu Han  
** It was humanities TT__TT  
_2:24_

__**Minseok  
** (emoticon)  
_2:24_

__**Lu Han  
** (emoticon)  
_2:24_

The next day in class, Lu Han’s first non-Chinese friend and classmate, Kim Jongdae - though she may not count because she was born in China - enters with bags under her eyes and a poster board in hand.

“I’ve had four cups of coffee, nothing to eat, and I hate this class,” she greets.

“Good morning to you, too,” Lu Han greets back, smile like sunshine. Jongdae curls into her side and tucks her head onto her shoulder.

“How are you so happy right now?”

“I didn’t procrastinate.”

“I am never procrastinating again. I feel like crap. _Fuck,_ ” the younger curses in Mandarin.

“It’s sad that the only Chinese you remember is curse words.”

“They’re the only Chinese words my parents use consistently.”

They have maybe ten minutes before the professor arrives to start class, so Jongdae closes her eyes and attempts to power nap. But Lu Han’s phone dings, and she can’t help looking at the flashing screen. 

> _@minshoe has favorited your tweet_

She squeezes Lu Han’s arm hard, and the older girl jumps.

“What is it?”

“You know Minseok unnie?”

They stare at each other in surprise for a few seconds, not expecting to have a mutual acquaintance with a classmate who months ago had been just a random person to sit next to. Jongdae is especially surprised, considering Lu Han is an exchange student who has admitted to mostly interacting with other exchange students outside of class.

“Well, I talk to her, but. We’ve never actually met?” Lu Han hesitates. The answer sounds strange in her head, and it’s twice as strange out loud. “We met online, so we talk through sns,” she clarifies.

“Oh. I thought she might be tutoring Korean again. I guess not,” Jongdae laughs. “She tutored me when we first moved here.”

“No, I don’t think she is.” Lu Han lets out a nervous giggle and checks her phone, glad Jongdae doesn’t pursue the ‘online’ thread of the conversation.

Jongdae has tucked herself back against Lu Han’s side and has a clear view of the screen. She watches her type a simple tweet about not wanting to be in class, and is about to fall asleep again when she notices her user name.

“Star Wars girl?” she gasps.

“Excuse me?” Lu Han asks.

“Nothing, nothing.” Lu Han’s attention goes back to her phone. Feeling mischievous, she casually adds, “Minseok’s my roommate by the way.”

She almost laughs out loud when she feels Lu Han tense up. The older girl turns toward her to ask questions or panic, or both, she can’t really tell. But the professor chooses right then to enter and everyone starts shuffling around their notes and pulling out their projects. Lu Han bites her lip and does the same. Jongdae delightfully notes that her face is turning an interesting shade of pink.

“Let’s talk after class, unnie,” Jongdae says, patting Lu Han’s shoulder.

After class involves Lu Han asking if Minseok goes to their university, asking Jongdae not to tell her they know each other, and a lot of flailing. Jongdae is outwardly calm throughout the ordeal, inwardly enjoying the unfolding rom-com of a situation. Lu Han genuinely looks upset and just plain nervous, though, so Jongdae doesn’t tease her, just answers every question and agrees to every request.

“I could introduce you to her if you want, unnie,” she offers.

Various emotions flash across Lu Han’s face, joy, doubt, confusion, excitement, ending on worry. “No, that’s okay. We’re not that close yet.” She covers her face with her hands and sighs. _”I’m not ready for that, why does she make me like this.”_

She says the last sentence in Mandarin. While she was flailing, she must have forgotten Jongdae could understand. Jongdae pretends she doesn’t know how close the Chinese girl really is to her roommate, and lets her go on thinking no one heard her last sentence. “Okay, but if you ever want me to introduce you guys in real life, I would be glad to!”

“Thanks, Jongdae, I appreciate it.”

That evening, Lu Han begins her conversation with Minseok a bit differently.

_**Lu Han** _  
_You know how i had a humanities project due and ur roommate had a humanities project due?_  
_16:43_

__**Minseok  
** Yeah, she stayed up all night working on it.  
_(emoticon)_  
_What about it?_  
_16:43_

__**Lu Han  
** I think ur roommate is in my class.  
_16:43_

__**Minseok  
** (emoticon)  
_Really?_  
_Hm, do you know a Kim Jongdae?_  
_16:44_

__**Lu Han  
** Yep, thats her! We sit next to each other.  
_(emoticon)_  
_16:45_

__**Minseok  
** Small world!  
_Well, you did say you were in Seoul._  
_So you go to -- University as well?_  
_16:46_

_**Lu Han** _  
_(emoticon)_  
_Yeah, i'm here for a year as an exchange student._  
_16:46_

Minseok doesn’t respond. Lu Han tries not to think about it, tells herself the other girl went to work or is doing homework, responsible stuff.

She checks after dinner, no response. She checks before bed, no response. She falls asleep staring at her screen, no response.

She wakes up the next morning and practically jumps when she sees her notification light flashing.

She happily unlocks her phone, but it’s just an email. Her heart sinks into her gut and she feels terrified. This is the first time, she realizes, that they haven’t properly ended a conversation with at least a ‘good-night’ or a ‘see you later.’

She spends the day shifting between focusing in class and wondering if she had said something wrong to Minseok. Was it creepy of her to mention her roommate? Had she crossed a line? They were friends online, but did Minseok not want to be friends in real life?

She’s pretty sure her mood shows on her face, because Yixing keeps sending her funny KKT stickers, Zitao has bought her lunch, Sehun has bought her coffee, Jongdae has rested her head on her shoulder even though she wasn’t tired, and Jongin has given her a back massage before class.

By the time she’s done with classes for the day, she wants to be alone at home watching the new episode of Sooyoung’s latest drama while eating a bowl of popcorn.

The next day is much the same, with Yixing upgrading to cooking her favorite foods for all three meals of the day.

She's grateful for her friend, for Zitao and her boyfriend, and for the classmates she has managed to befriend, because she has honestly never felt this lonely before.

It almost feels ridiculous that she's worrying over someone she hasn't even met in person, over something as trivial as an unresponded text. But it's slowly becoming clearer to Lu Han that she really, really likes Minseok. From her past experiences with crushes, all this fretting is totally normal.

Four days since Minseok last responded to a KKT message, commented on a post, or even reblogged anything on Tumblr, and Lu Han has stopped worrying about the situation and begun worrying about Minseok. Jongdae doesn't give anything away when they meet. Usually Minseok doesn't even come up in their conversations, so it feels out of place to ask.

When Lu Han decides to stop worrying and just wait it out - because frankly, she has no clue what Minseok does when she's not in class, at work, or talking to her - Minseok retweets a sad quote. It's some heart-wrenching quote about family from an animated film, maybe Disney. The tweet is followed by another that says, _':( :( :('_

With a sense of de ja vu, Lu Han thinks, _fuck it_ , and messages the other girl.

_**Lu Han** _  
_Hi, how are you feeling?_  
_15:18_

* * *

Her phone rings in the middle of her afternoon nap, which she doesn't remember consciously deciding to take, and she mindlessly swipes across the screen to answer.

“Xing?” she mumbles into her pillow.

“Hello?”

She sits up. That is not Yixing's accent. It’s also too high pitched to be Zitao. No one else has her number.

“Um, hello?”

“I’m sorry, did I wake you from your nap?”

Lu Han has a moment of panic and, with some idea of who the caller is, she checks her screen.

She’s in a KKT phone call with Minseok. Phone call. Minseok. She covers her mouth and screams, belatedly hoping the other doesn’t hear it over the line.

She takes two deep breaths to calm herself, then brings the phone back to her ear to say, "Hello? Minseok?"

"Hi," the voice on the other line says. "It's Minseok." She pauses. "Is this Lu Han?"

"Yeah," she replies, feeling a bit a bit lightheaded. "It's me."

"Hi! Um, it's nice to hear your voice."

Lu Han forgets to breathe then, because Minseok's voice shakes in a way reminiscent of an upset Yixing, or a sad Zitao. _"Good evening, Xiumin,"_ she says, slipping into the simple Mandarin greeting. "It's nice to hear you, too. But… Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she sighs. "Yeah, no, everything's fine. Did I wake you up?"

"No, no! I was just surprised. Usually only get phone calls from my roommates."

"Sorry, I should have told you I would be calling."

"It's fine, don't worry," she assures.

For a few moments, they're silent, and Lu Han wonders what Minseok is doing. Is she sitting, lying down, in her kitchen in the middle of dinner? Did she just call on a whim, or had there been a reason?

Had Minseok been thinking of her?

"Hey, Lu Han," Minseok says, voice quiet, almost whispering.

"Yes?" Lu Han answers, voice just as soft.

"Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Could you sing something for me? Something in Mandarin?"

"Of course."

She sings two songs, a pop ballad and a lullaby. Quiet songs to fit their quiet mood. Minseok doesn't say anything after the first, so she continues with the lullaby. Slowly, she has lowered her head back down to her pillow, and her eyelids have gotten heavy.

"Xiumin?" she asks, checking if the other girl has fallen asleep.

"You have a really nice voice," comes the gentle reply.

"Thank you. I like your voice, too."

 _I like you,_ she wants to say.

Minseok giggles. "It's plain compared to yours."

"No, it's beautiful."

_You're beautiful._

There’s a sniffle.

"Xiumin?"

"I’m sorry, I'm a little bit homesick to be honest. Jongdae is out, and, I don't know, you seemed like the only other person who would understand."

"Are you not able to visit home often?" Lu Han hopes she isn't pushing any boundaries with this question.

"I could, but… my parents and I had a falling out the last time I went home."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Minseok doesn't answer right away. "Thank you. For listening to me, and singing, and dealing with my weird mood. And, um, not asking about my parents."

"Anytime," she tells her, completely meaning it. "You can call anytime."

“Thank you. You can call me anytime, too. If you ever need to.”

* * *

It’s Minseok again rather than Lu Han who calls the next time.

“I was just wondering what you were up to,” she says.

“I’m done for the day, so I’m heading home. You?” Lu Han wonders if the other can hear her smile through the phone.

“Me, too! Well, I’m home already, but I’m done for the day, too. Catching up on dramas before I have to go to work.”

“Do you have a long break? You should rest.”

“How sweet.”

Lu Han blushes and blood rushes to her ears.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Minseok says, though she can barely hear it over her heart pounding. “I don’t work that long each day. I get plenty of rest.”

“But,” she coughs, trying to control the amount of warmth attacking her face. “But every day - still, you should get some rest.”

Minseok hums. “I guess.”

“No dramas right now! You should nap.”

“Of course you would tell me to nap.”

“Yes, naps are good for you. I don’t know how your skin looks so good when you don’t nap.”

“I just wake up like this,” she laughs.

Lu Han huffs. “Please rest?”

“So adamant,” the other mumbles.

“If I hang up, will you at least try to sleep?”

“I don’t know. I called because I want to talk to you. Hanging up on me might make me want to stay up late out of spite.”

“Xiumin…”

Minseok laughs, and Lu Han smiles at the sound. She’s made it home, but she’s smiling like an idiot outside her front door.

“Fine!” the other girl gives in. “I’ll rest a little. But only because you’re so sweet.”

Lu Han only responds with more blushing and smiling like an idiot. “I just care about you,” she laughs. For a while, it’s just herself laughing, the line silent otherwise. A split second after she begins thinking she said something odd, Minseok speaks softly.

“I know. I care about you, too.”

Lu Han leans rests her head against the door and listens to her friend’s soft breathing over the phone. Almost unconsciously, she begins singing. If she closes her eyes, she can imagine Minseok in her room, probably laying on a couch or her bed, phone resting against her shoulder. Her eyelids steadily becoming heavier, her breaths evening out.

“Unnie?”

Zitao taps her shoulder, keys jingling on the lanyard she swings like a lasso. Lu Han holds a finger to her lips, asking for silence as she continues to hum a lazy tune.

Eventually, she hears a gentle snore crackling through the speaker.

Satisfied, she smiles and let’s herself and Zitao into their apartment.

* * *

The third phone call is initiated by Minseok, once again.

It comes past midnight, after Lu Han knows Minseok should be home from work and just as she, Yixing, and Zitao are getting ready for bed.

Yixing has already washed up and browses on her phone, back towards Lu Han. She glances back when she hears the buzzing, but instead of getting irritated, she just ignores it. She knows only one person who would call Lu Han this late at night would not want to interrupt.

Jumping into bed and burrowing under the covers, Lu Han picks up with a whispered, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Minseok greets. “You weren’t already asleep were you?”

“No, I just finished washing up.”

“Me too, good.”

Lu Han expects a longer response, but the silence stretches thinly between them. After a few tense minutes, she finally asks, “Is everything okay?”

“I,” Minseok sighs. “I think so. I can trust you right? I mean, you know Jongdae, but Jongdae already knows, and you follow me on my fandom sns, but there aren’t that many people’s opinions in fandom that I care about, at least not as much as I care about yours, but-” Lu Han can hear her take a deep breath, “I can trust you, right?”

“Yeah! I mean, of course you can trust me, I won’t go blabbing about your life. It’s not like I talk about you a lot to other people, I wouldn’t do that, because, I- Anyway, yes, you can trust me.”

Minseok is rambling, and it makes Lu Han want to ramble, but they don’t usually ramble like this, so there must be something wrong.

“I don’t,” Minseok admits, “I don’t want to continue this friendship without you knowing.”

“What?” Lu Han’s heart stops.

“I mean, I want to be your friend! Oh my god, no, I didn’t mean it like that, I enjoy being your friend a lot. I’m freaked out right now, because I can’t believe I’m about to tell you what I’m about to tell you,” she laughs. “The only other person I’ve told is Jongdae, and I’ve known her more than half my life. There’s my parents, too, but - I’m getting ahead of myself.

"We’ve only known each other for a few months, but I feel like I’ve known you for more than half my life is what I’m trying to say.”

“I understand,” Lu Han interjects, relieved. “I feel the same, too. Honestly.”

“Would you trust me with a secret?”

She should stop and think about this, Lu Han knows. But stopping and thinking isn’t what began their friendship. If Lu Han had had time to think, she would have overthought and she would have deleted her comment and been an invisible lurker on Minseok’s sns. In her gut, like an instinct, she knows Minseok is trustworthy, she doesn’t need to overthink. “Yes,” she declares without hesitation. “Yes. Would you be more comfortable sharing if I tell you a secret, too?”

Minseok laughs, mostly in surprise, and the tension between them alleviates. “You don’t have to.” She can't seem to stop laughing, though neither can Lu Han.

“I’m serious,” Lu Han says. “I will tell you my deepest, darkest secret if it will make you feel better.”

“I appreciate that, but you really don’t have to.”

“Well, I’m going to. Here goes: I think Chinese food is better than Korean food.”

“That’s hardly a secret!”

“But you’re laughing now. I like your laugh.”

“Thank you. So sweet,” Minseok mumbles, and if happiness were helium, Lu Han would hit the ceiling. “But I don’t think this is a secret-telling-atmosphere anymore.”

“No, probably not. Is there anything else you want to talk about. It could be completely random, if you want.”

“I always pick the topic, though. What do _you_ want to talk about?”

“What have you been up to since the last time we talked?”

“I’ve caught up with some friends from the dance club.”

“You’re in the dance club?”

“I used to be. I decided to take a break to focus on school. But talking to them makes me want to go back.”

“You should. You’d meet my roommate, and then we’d have another common friend.”

“I think you should join,” Minseok suggests.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. And make more friends. You don’t seem like the type to not have a big group of friends.”

“I have friends,” Lu Han pouts.

“And you could have many, many more. I think you’re so much fun, and all we do is talk. Imagine if we actually hung out in person.”

“You’re more fun than I am, so if that’s why I should join, then you definitely have to join again.” She deliberately doesn’t mention the idea of meeting in person.

“I’ll think about it,” Minseok says, and Lu Han wonders if she’s disappointed.

“I’ll think about it, too.”

* * *

With a jolt, Lu Han wakes up. The sun is up, Yixing’s alarm is blaring, and the last thing she remembers is talking to Minseok. She turns over and there between her and the wall her bed is pressed against, is her cell phone, still open to a call with Minseok and battery nearly drained. She presses the phone to her ear. The sounds of rustling movement and a pop that vaguely sounds like a slap filter through. “Ow,” she hears.

“Minseok?”

More rustling.

“Hello? Lu Han?”

“Good morning,” Lu Han greets, flopping back down on her bed with light spirits. Yixing sees her bright smile as she passes by on her way to the restroom and affectionately pats her head.

“Good morning,” Minseok’s groggy voice replies. “Did we fall asleep on each other?”

“We did.”

“Oh. That was kinda nice.”

“Yeah,” Lu Han says, almost inaudible. “It was nice.”

She lies there, smiling dumbly at the ceiling, wondering if Minseok is as downright giddy as she is.

"You have a morning class, don't you?" Minseok asks. "Do you have to go now?"

With a groan, Lu Han drags herself up. "I do, but must I be reminded?"

"You must!" Yixing calls from the bathroom. "Or you wouldn't go!"

"If you weren't reminded, would you go?"

"Everyone's ganging up on me so early in the morning," Lu Han whines.

"You should go to class," both Yixing and Minseok chorus at the same time.

Lu Han sighs exaggeratedly. "Okay, I'm getting up and going."

"Okay. Okay," Minseok says. "Will I, uh. Talk to you later?"

"Of course, of course!" Lu Han says, smiling brightly. "I'll talk to you later."

The rest of her day doesn’t go nearly as great as her morning had, despite it being the best day she’s had all semester. Jongdae cuddles against her in class because ‘Xiumin-unnie doesn’t usually talk so much and I didn’t get any sleep,’ and Jongin shares her lunch with her, things that would normally make her light up. But all she can think about is Minseok saying, ‘That was kinda nice,’ and ‘Talk to you later?’

She has it bad.

* * *

SNSD announce a world tour beginning in Seoul in mid-August, and the first thing Lu Han does after hearing the news is call Minseok. The other girl hasn’t heard about it yet, and, with Lu Han feeling accomplished because she got to be the bearer of such great news, they yell incoherently at each other over the phone.

“We have to webcam when we buy the tickets!” Minseok shouts in the midst of the ruckus.

Lu Han agrees without fully processing the question.

* * *

It’s going to be their first time webcamming and Lu Han is terrified. Her hands are sweaty, she can’t seem to stop tapping her foot, and she spends a good half-hour picking an outfit. Of course, it ends up being a simple T-shirt and shorts, but she had wanted to find the ‘right’ T-shirt. It’s just a video chat, they’re not even going to be in the same room, but Lu Han freaks out anyway.

This is the first time they’ll see each other’s faces in motion, in conversation. Not in a selca or a snapchat. Lu Han won’t have time to arrange her face perfectly so it doesn’t look like her jaw is unhinging when she laughs, she won’t even be able to hold the camera up at a flattering angle.

She can’t stop moving. She moves from the kitchen table to the coffee table, from the floor to the couch, from the couch to a chair. She picks up her laptop, puts it back down, lays it next to her, lays it on her lap. Yixing gets a bit dizzy from watching the girl cross in front of the television a thousand times.

“You have it bad,” she says.

Lu Han just glares at her from her behind her laptop. She’s finally decided on sitting next to her on the couch. “You’re much worse with your boyfriend.” Yixing stretches out so she’s crowding around the other’s legs.

“Well, we don’t get to talk that much. Gotta make every moment count.”

The laptop dings, causing Lu Han to flail in excitement and begin typing furiously.

Yixing just looks up at her with a face that screams judgement. “You, on the other hand, talk to your girlfriend every day. Have you even met in person?”

“She is not my girlfriend,” Lu Han responds, giving her best friend a firm but lighthearted kick. “She doesn’t even know I like girls. And no, we have not met in person yet.”

“Will you meet her soon?”

“Maybe. I don’t know yet.” Lu Han blushes and rises from the couch, laptop cradled in her arms. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“Where are you going?” Yixing sits up to watch Lu Han move to their bedroom. “Is that Skype?”

“Nowhere and maybe it is!”

“It’s too soon for webcam sex, take her on a proper date first!”

“She doesn’t even know I like girls!”

* * *

"Okay, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"One, two, three!"

Lu Han makes a show of clicking the _'purchase'_ button, so the other girl can see it over the chat. They stay silent for a while, both watching their screens load and hoping to see a screen saying _'Purchase Complete.'_

Minseok lets out a soft, "Whoo!" a split second before Lu Han. Then both girls have silent freak outs, including head banging and air guitars, so their roommates can’t hear them.

“Share your screen, share your screen! We have to make sure we got the right seats!” Minseok whispers excitedly, after they’ve somewhat calmed down. “Oh, you got two tickets?” she says, upon seeing Lu Han’s screen.

“I did. One for me and one for my roommate,” she answers, hoping her blush can’t be seen through the webcam.

“No worries, I got three! For me, Jongdae, and her boyfriend. But they’re paying me back.” Minseok’s smile is so much prettier in person - or through webcam. It’s close enough in Lu Han’s mind. “But,” she hesitates, “we are sitting next to each other.”

Her face heats up, and Lu Han really, really hopes the feed is grainy enough that Minseok cannot see her blush. “We are.” The other just stares at her, with a small smile and slow blinks. She stares back, smiling as well. Hopefully it’s less creepy looking than it feels.

“I like this,” Minseok says. “We should do this more often.”

“Skype?”

“Yeah. It’s the closest we’ve come to actually meeting in person.”

“It is,” Lu Han says, voice shaking. “But we’ll meet soon, right? At the concert.”

“Right. At the concert.”

Lu Han doesn’t want to get her hopes up, but it looks and sounds like Minseok is disappointed. “It’s not too far away. You’ll get to experience my fangirling up close in no time.”

That seems to cheer her up. “I’ve been wanting to witness that. I got a taste of it today and I am not as scared as you said I would be.”

“The real thing is much more frightening, believe me,” Lu Han assures.

“We’ll see. At the concert of the band that is the sole reason we met! How cool is that?"

“It’s amazing. Though, I think Jongdae would have introduced us at some point.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, you’re right.”

Someone knocks on the bedroom door, and Lu Han turns around.

“Lu,” Yixing asks, “is it okay if I come in?”

“One second!” she responds. To Minseok, she says, “I think I have to go now. I may have taken over our bedroom to webcam with you.”

“I feel so special,” the other girl jokes. “I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Yeah,” Lu Han smiles back. “Talk to you soon.”

* * *

“Are you nervous?”

“Hmm?” Lu Han turns her head quickly. “Oh. No. Not nervous.”

Yixing looks at her skeptically, noting how she bounces on her toes, her attention darts in every direction, and she can’t figure out if her hands want to be in her pockets or fiddling with the tickets. “There’s no reason to be nervous, Lu. You’ve practically met already.”

Lu Han nods, though it doesn’t comfort her. Even if she and Minseok have talked a lot, have seen each other’s faces in selcas, snapchats, and videochats, have spoken to each other often, there is something incredibly different about meeting each other in person. They’ve always had technology between them, the safety of screens and speakers, things to hide themselves behind. Even their words, the most truthful things they have shared, have been filtered.

Here, at the concert stadium with nothing but an armrest between them, there will be no chance to think through a response in her head, no chance to backspace, no chance to pause. There will be no chance to step away and get her feelings together because Minseok makes her feel a lot of things.

Someone jumps onto her back, and she knows it’s Jongdae before the girl can say, “Hi, unnie. I missed you!”

“I missed you, too, Jongdae.” She wiggles and spins. “Please get off, you’re heavy.”

“Am not!” she gasps.

“Okay, Jongdae, don’t crush your friend,” a male voice says. Lu Han turns to see a man standing next to Yixing. He’s of average height, casually dressed, but his face is handsome and his smile is sweet. “Nice to meet you,” he says. “I’m Joonmyun, Jongdae’s boyfriend.”

Jongdae releases her and she shakes hands with Joonmyun. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Though she is facing Joonmyun, the three of them can see her eyes look all around, looking for someone.

“Are you looking for someone, Lu Han?” Jongdae laughs. Lu Han pouts at her, so she says, “Minseok unnie came separately, but she should be here soon.”

“Patience,” Yixing says, bumping Lu Han’s hip with her own.

“Sorry,” she responds, sheepish. She rubs the back of her neck to find she’s sweating despite the air conditioned lobby. She goes back to her constant fidgeting. When she left the apartment, she hadn’t felt nervous at all, only excited. But as more time passes, she becomes more tense and her heart beats louder in her ears. She feels like she might explode soon.

“Hello! I’m not late am I?”

It’s her voice. Behind her. Clearer than an HD voice message, it’s her voice. She’s here. But Lu Han can’t make herself turn around.

“Hi, unnie! Minseok unnie, this is Yixing unnie, Lu Han’s roommate. And this…”

Jongdae tugs on her wrist, arm around her waist to guide her. Lu Han almost wants to shut her eyes to delay what’s about to happen, because she’s not prepared at all, she thought she had been. “This is Lu Han.”

And there she is, Kim Minseok, in her SNSD T-shirt-wearing glory, lightstick in hand, smiling brightly. She’s just wearing a T-shirt and jeans and she has minimal eyeliner on, but she looks stunning. More stunning than any selca or webcam feed. There she is with her arms held wide, cheeks pink, and smiling at Lu Han.

“Hi, Lu Han. Long time no see.”

When Lu Han runs into her arms, she seems to forget all the sweat, fidgeting, and fretting. Her heart still beats like a drumline in her chest, but she thinks she feels Minseok’s beating, too.

“Long time no see.”

**Author's Note:**

> They would totally hold hands while they watch the concert.
> 
> I WAS FILLED WITH FLUFF AND WANTED TO SHARE IT, I’M SORRY. I listened to so much Secret and A Pink to feel the fluff.
> 
> I tried to make Minseok’s ‘secret’ easy to guess, so I hope it is.
> 
> Jongdae is supposed to be the daughter of Chinese-born Koreans who moved back when she was eight. Her parents spoke a mix of Mandarin and Korean when they were in China and she didn’t properly learn Korean until she began schooling. Her parents asked next door neighbor/Jongdae’s friend Minseok to tutor her in Korean. She can still speak Mandarin, but not with technical topics.
> 
> (i had so much fun writing this two years ago and having to edit the formatting now made me kinda happy)


End file.
